


Goldilocks

by larxenethefirefly



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-01
Updated: 2014-02-01
Packaged: 2018-01-10 18:20:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1162983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/larxenethefirefly/pseuds/larxenethefirefly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rose and TenToo go mattress shopping. Shameless fluff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Goldilocks

**Author's Note:**

> Written for AintFraidaNoGhosts for Christmas 2012 :) Hope you like it Bear!!
> 
> * * *

The Doctor was alarmingly excited to go shopping for mattresses.

In fact, he had been the one to insist upon it, not three days after he had literally run screaming from Bed Bath and Beyond when Rose had been trying to find curtains for the living room. She had simply rolled her eyes and left him to his hysterics. After all, she had the keys to the car, so he could either stand out there and mope or come back and help her with the shopping. She had purposefully taken longer than usual just to see what he would do, and he had come slinking back in while she was picking out towels for the bathroom. He had a shifty expression on his face, like he was convinced that the various goods were going to leap up and smother him.

So hearing him ask to shop for something so domestic made her think she had gone ‘round the bend.

“You want to what?” She finally managed, as he rocked on his feet eagerly.

“Go shopping for mattresses!” he said cheerfully. “I know you just want to use the ones from the mansion, but new flat means new things, right? I’ll have a bed that’s actually mine, so I want a mattress that’s mine as well!”

Immediately, Rose’s heart went out to him. She knew he still desperately missed the TARDIS, the only thing that had ever truly belonged to him, and was trying to fix that void in his heart and mind in every possible way. The flat had been the start of it, and she couldn’t refuse him anything.

She nodded. “Alright, we’ll go this afternoon.”

He brightened, and even insisted upon helping with unpacking the shopping when she returned.

Fifteen minutes later they were done, Rose having to go behind him and rearrange the items into their proper places. The Doctor had moved on to tinkering with the blender, trying to make the perfect sonic slicer for banana smoothies. His heart, however, clearly wasn’t in it, since he checked his watch every few seconds and seemed disappointed that time wasn’t moving any faster.

Rose checked her email, filled out a questionnaire, and read her horoscope. The Doctor grew increasingly twitchy as the clock neared three, pacing and muttering distractedly, going over to sit on the sofa before moving to the air mattress he was using temporarily. Rose wondered when he would realize that he had yet to decide on a bed, let alone actually move into the second bedroom that was his.

He finally jumped up just as Rose was searching for recipes. “It’s three o’ clock,” he announced. “Time to go mattress shopping.”

She smiled. “Is it?”

“I’ll go without you,” he warned.

Alarmed, Rose got up and raced for the keys. “No way are you driving. Come on.”

He pouted, but willingly followed her down to the parking garage.

The nearest mattress store was about a twenty minute drive, and the Doctor was silent the entire time, staring intently out the window, eyes flickering over nothing. Rose knew that look; he was deep in thought, a trait that his Time Lord self had done when he was thinking up particularly challenging Physics or reading time lines. She wondered if he was calculating the prime bounce factor for catapulting a banana safely across the room to land in a basket without bruising.

He wrenched the door open when she stopped at the meter, and raced around the car to get her door. Bemused, Rose stepped out and paid the meter for an hour; she could always go back and refill it. The Doctor held out his hand, and together they stepped into the mattress store, staring about in interest.

A slightly balding man appeared from nowhere. “Welcome to Three Bears Mattresses! How can I help you today?”

“I need a mattress,” the Doctor said, brightly. “One that isn’t too firm, and allows for some bounce.”

The salesman looked amused. “I’ll see what I can do. A Queen or a King, I’m assuming?”

Before Rose could reply with something a little smaller, the Doctor was nodding his head. Rose frowned slightly and fell behind as the two avidly discussed the appeal of mattresses, how certain ones could cause back problems and that ‘Three Bears Mattresses will serve you for life, guaranteed!’ The Doctor exclaimed over one of the displays that had seahorses sewn into it, but as soon as he sat down made a face. “This is way too firm,” he replied.

“Many mattresses require breaking in,” the salesmen said, eyeing Rose. “I’m certain, Miss, you can help him.”  
“Oh, we’re not-“ she began, but the Doctor interrupted her.

“No amount of breaking in can help that thing,” he said. “Do you have any with fewer springs?”

Rose meandered off, going over to the foam based mattresses. She smiled as she ran her hand over it, and then pressed down. The handprint lingered, slowly fading as the mattress resumed its normal form.

The salesman and the Doctor had joined her. “Do you like that one, Miss?” The salesman asked.

“It’s comfy,” Rose said, looking at the Doctor for affirmation.

He considered, and then shook his head. “Nah, I’ve heard it’s hard to have sex on them.”

Rose flushed crimson and snatched her hand away.

Undaunted, the salesmen lead them to another group. “These are more high-quality.” He replied. “We don’t carry water beds, but you can order them online if you so wish.”

The Doctor tested the closest one. “Too soft,” he replied. “I want to sleep, not get swallowed by the mattress.”

Rose tapped the salesman on the shoulder. “I’d leave him be,” she said. “This is going to take a while, and the more you talk to him, the more he’s gonna talk back. I’ll let you know when we’ve made a decision.”

The Doctor was bouncing on the next one over, a contemplative look on his face. He seemed to notice that Rose was alone, and beamed. “Oh, finally! Come here, what do you think of this one?”

She sat down beside him. “Not bad,” she admitted. It was a bit too firm for her tastes, but he seemed to like it.

“But not perfect,” he said, watching her.

“Well... no,” she admitted. “It’s too stiff.”

The Doctor nodded, and then continued to the next.

The process continued with several more mattresses, the Doctor asking her opinion, and moving on if she didn’t like it. Rose felt a little off-balance. It had been three months since they had arrived in this world, and she wasn’t sure of her place in his life. He wanting to share a flat with her seemed like a big step, but he hadn’t made a move since then. What if...?

She ignored the thought. There was no use getting her hopes up.

Rose settled down on a different mattress, then considered. It felt nice, wasn’t too fluffy, but still soft. She scooted backwards until she was lying down on top of it, and the Doctor followed her lead.

“What do you think?” he asked as they stared at the ceiling.

“I... I like it.” Rose replied. Then added, hurriedly, “But don’t pick it cause I like it. This is going on your bed, you’re going to have to sleep on it.”

He coughed. “About that...”

She slowly turned her head to look at him. His cheeks were slightly pink, and he looked up at the ceiling intently. “I know there’s a lot we have to say to each other, Rose,” he said, “and a lot of stories to tell. But, to put it frankly, I want to be with you. Forever. I meant it when I said I love you, and... maybe one day, you might feel the same.”

Her heart pounded. After the beach, after their kiss, the Doctor hadn’t given one indication that he wanted to spend a lifetime together other than platonically. At first Rose had thought he needed space; he had been newly created, stuck with memories of a life he hadn’t lived and a body he wasn’t used to. People had gone insane from less. After a week or two she had tried getting closer, but was confused when he didn’t pick up on her signals despite having the innate human sense of knowing when one’s supposed love interest was coming on to them. He hadn’t kissed her, hadn’t flirted, and even kept touching to a minimum. Confused, Rose had withdrawn, wondering if she had chosen the right life after all.

And yet here he was, thinking that she was the one who needed space, needed time to process and evaluate. It occurred to her that they were both a little bit oblivious, and she should have learned her lesson ages ago. Everyone else, she thought, always saw it before them.

“I still do,” She finally replied, hand seeking out his. “That never changed.”

His hand wrapped around hers, clinging tightly, and he finally turned his head to look at her. Rose’s eyes were fuzzy with tears, and he was beaming, the brightest smile she had seen on him since they had been left in Pete’s World. Rose laughed, and he joined in, and she wondered how they were so bloody stupid to wait this long.

The salesmen, bemused, cut off their giggles. “Have you made a decision?”

Rose beamed at her Doctor. “Yeah. I think I have.”

“This one is just right,” He replied, and squeezed her hand.

Just right indeed, Rose thought, and gave her own little squeeze in reply.  


* * *

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.  
  
This story archived at <http://www.whofic.com/viewstory.php?sid=49310>


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